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Men of Letters
Men of Letters are "preceptors, observers, beholders, chroniclers" of mysteries not easily explainable or known to men. They had knowledge of mysteries of the supernatural and many arcane arts like alchemy. They considered hunters to be a lower class to them. Thus, their order only shares its secrets to the most elite hunters they deem to be worthy. Overview The order is identified with the crest of the Aquarian Star, a six-pointed sign that represents great magic and power and was linked to the gates of Atlantis. The order is led by elders, who hold their most protected secrets. Members of the order are ordained through the paternal line of their family. Despite the name of the order, members are not gender specific, as one of their initiates was female, although the majority of them are men. History Men of Letters had been active beginning an unspecified point in time. It was known that by 1958, they possessed a significant number of members, as well as weapons and locations that were powerful. At some point between the late 17th century and their destruction, they used their political power to destroy the Grand Coven's power by whipping the church into a frenzy, causing many of the Grand Coven's best members to be burned at the stake or forced into hiding. The Men of Letters took the Coven's best spells and potions and hid them in their bunkers across the world. In 1958, two initiates Henry Lunar and Josie Sands were sent to investigate events in St. Bonaventure Convent as part of their last test to be members of the order. The convent housed a nun murdered two victims before she threw herself from a tower. During Henry and Josie's investigation, it was revealed that they were dealing with a group of demons serving a Knight of Hell, Abaddon. The demons were possessing the nuns, and although Henry and Josie cast out a couple demons, the Knight of Hell quickly overpowered Henry. As Abaddon stated her intention to possess Henry to study the Men of Letters, Josie begged the knight to stop and offered herself as a vessel instead. Abaddon agreed and ordered the remaining demon to act dead. She convinced Henry that they successfully exorcized all the demons. Abaddon, while possessing Josie, also subtly threatened the surviving nuns to keep the ordeal quiet, thus preventing them from warning Henry of the truth. Although considering Hunters below them, Men of Letters shared many of their characteristics and habits, such as keeping journals, and guarding secrets. Much like Hunters they also sometimes investigated supernatural events and phenomena, using alias and impersonating officials. This sort of "Field work" was necessary for initiates to partake in before initiation. Power and Knowledge Men of Letters are powerful humans who know more about the supernatural than even veteran hunters. They have knowledge of ancient and powerful magic, including exorcism and time travel spells. One of the members, Henry Lunar, tapped into his own soul in order to power a spell. They also are aware of the existence of angels, something hunters only think of as a myth. Additionally, they know of the existence of dragons, and Atlantis, among other things. However, their knowledge on some things seems to be limited: they know of the Knights of Hell, but believe that the archangels had killed them, not Cain. They also seem to be unaware of how to kill a Knight or even stop one. They also have no lore on the Mark of Cain. They seem to be ranked by Levels of supernatural knowledge that they have attained; the higher the level, the more powerful and experienced they are.